> 
> In message <9705272037.AA14778@vali.stanford.edu>  Bill Studenmund wrote:
> 
> > My thought for the hdlc device was to add a character device (seperate
> > from any async tty character device) on the port and give it line
> > disciplines. The character side of the interface would be much like
> > the char side of a tun interface (read and write whole packets).
> > In ppp mode, control packets could come down this interface.
> > 
> > What other ioctls are needed?
> 
> A whole lot, but they are part of the line-dicipline. As long as you can 
> attach that (eg. on a tty-style device) your're fine.

Ok. So the hdlc device'll need full-fledged line disciplines. Hmm.

> But my point is that there seems to be a general need for something
> like linedicplines/protocol stacking for network interfaces. 
> (It would be great to just modload a new IP-protocol or an add on to UDP ...).

I'm not against such a thing, but I would like to get hdlc and LocalTalk
moving soon.

> With ISDN you have a network protocol with different services (voice,
> various data-protocols etc.) and it would be great to reuse as much 
> code as possible. But the showstopper is that you can't add additional
> protocols easily (try adding PPP on top of UDP or TCP for example, usefull 
> tunneling ...) to existing protocol stacks.
> As someone  else stated in this thread, I don't want SYSV-Streams !!! 
> As I think of it of it, may be I can create a device driver that can 
> do it (I need this for my daytime job anyway I found out today,
> the streams stack in some commercial unixes is way to bad (no not
> our NONSTOPUX that would've be to easy .. :-(  )

I'd be interested to hear how things progress.

Take care,

Bill